Very handy Al - thanks for that!
Some fascinating facts too - under 'volume' for example. How the gallon came about, originally a measure of eight pounds of wheat, later the volume of ten pounds of water under certain conditions, and why the American gallon differs from the imperial gallon. Being of an era when we had to recite by rote such things as weights and measures, times tables, I well remember the whole class reciting 'a pint of water weights a pound and a quarter'.
I can't remember what we chanted for 'rods, poles, perches and chains' though, but I do recall how the furlong and rod originated - namely, 'furrow long' - the length of furrow in a field, and rod being the length of the rod which spaced out furrows when strip farming existed, being the length or the rod that was used to guide the horse. You can still see areas of land when such furrows and spacings still exist undisturbed since before the Enclosures Act when peasants were turned off their strips of land.
I'm not likely to need to calculate the volume of an ellipsoid sphere (rugby ball shape) but to do so would be so much easier by using the calculator!
Clever stuff!
Some fascinating facts too - under 'volume' for example. How the gallon came about, originally a measure of eight pounds of wheat, later the volume of ten pounds of water under certain conditions, and why the American gallon differs from the imperial gallon. Being of an era when we had to recite by rote such things as weights and measures, times tables, I well remember the whole class reciting 'a pint of water weights a pound and a quarter'.
I can't remember what we chanted for 'rods, poles, perches and chains' though, but I do recall how the furlong and rod originated - namely, 'furrow long' - the length of furrow in a field, and rod being the length of the rod which spaced out furrows when strip farming existed, being the length or the rod that was used to guide the horse. You can still see areas of land when such furrows and spacings still exist undisturbed since before the Enclosures Act when peasants were turned off their strips of land.
I'm not likely to need to calculate the volume of an ellipsoid sphere (rugby ball shape) but to do so would be so much easier by using the calculator!
Clever stuff!
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
